Operation Rubble state-wide crackdown on rogue waste transporters

A coordinated state-wide multi-agency crackdown on the illegal transportation and dumping of waste, held throughout November 2018, disrupted the criminal waste trade, according to the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

For the first time, the states five Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Squads and Programs led a multi-agency unannounced roadside operation to crackdown on illegal operators. The operation brought together the EPA , NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), the NSW Police and local councils.

During the operation waste transport vehicles were intercepted and checked for waste transport and disposal compliance, as well as vehicle and road safety compliance.

During the month-long operation 468 heavy vehicles were stopped, with the resulting compliance actions: 130 RMS defect notices and 31 NSW Police infringement notices were issued; 22 penalty notices and 16 official cautions were issued by the RID Squads, totalling $16,447. Notices and cautions were issued to waste transporters for offences including uncovered loads and allowing waste to escape onto the road. Also, four trucks carrying loads of waste to unlawful sites were redirected to lawful waste facilities.

The disposal sites of 45 waste trucks are being inspected by the RID Squads and the EPA to check whether the waste was lawfully disposed. Follow up regulatory action will be taken where necessary.

This operation aligns with other initiatives underway to tackle this scourge, including the EPA’s Waste Crime Taskforce which targets organised criminal activity and disrupts the waste dumping business model.